Chicago’s Original Italian Beef Came Out First National Industry Contest Between Signature Foods

CHICAGO, IL (April 5, 2018) Buona, The Original Italian Beef, is the official national champion of the annual Munch Madness Tournament, a competition to determine America’s Best Regional Eats put on by Goldbely, a curated online marketplace for regional and artisanal foods crafted by local food purveyors throughout the United States. Buona, the Chicago-based family-owned brand of Italian Beef, was up against some stiff competition, including Vienna Beef, Primanti Bros, and iconic pizza brands Lou Malnati’s and Gino’s East. In the end, Buona was not only the winning brand in the Midwest category, they were the victor over all 64 brands involved in the contest. 2018 marks the first year that Buona competed in the Tournament.

“We’re proud of our performance and thrilled that the ‘National’ Sandwich of Chicago has been recognized for its deliciousness,” says second-generation owner Joe Buonavolanto. “We owe our victory to our amazing family recipe and our dogged devotion to making it ‘old school’ and all-natural – just like they did in the 1930s.”

The Buona Beef sandwich earned 33,000 votes in the final round, while the nearest competitor earned 24,000.

###

About Buona Restaurants
The first Buona restaurant began serving Chicago’s original Italian beef in Berwyn, IL in 1981. Founded by Buonavolanto patriarch Joe Buonavolanto, Sr., the group is the last standing 100 percent family-owned Italian beef chain. Buona is the Official Italian Beef of the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, and is proudly served at Soldier Field. Buona has evolved from a “beefstand” to a restaurant that serves a perfect blend of old-school indulgence and next-generation menu choices – made with a focus on fresh, scratch-made food. While the menu has expanded, the original Italian beef recipe has not been compromised – for the three generations of Buonavolantos who are active in the company, compromise and quality are never uttered in the same breath.

Buona’s Italian beef sandwich has won several awards and accolades since its inception, including USA TODAY’s 10Best, The Chicago Tribune’s Best Italian Beef in Chicago, Steve Dolinsky’s Essential Italian Beef Joints in Chicago(land), Eater’s 11 Essential Chicago Italian Beef Restaurants, Berwyn’s Best, West Suburban Living’s Best of the West, The Daily Herald’s Reader’s Choice Award. Buona retail products are now sold at Target, Jewel, Mariano’s, Aldi and Peapod.

For more information, visit Buona online at www.buona.com, like on Facebook or follow on Twitter or Instagram